He smiled at the memories of his grandfather. Losing his grandparents had been hard, but he hoped he wasdoing something to honor them. He wanted to live his life in a way that would make them proud.
When he’d received that horrible phone call earlier today, that was the first thing he’d thought—letting down his grandparents. He still wasn’t sure how to handle the situation or if he could even come up with twenty-five thousand dollars. Hopefully he would sleep well and things would beclearer in the morning.
Bonus Content: Holding On 1st
Published in 2017 by JMS Books. Buy your copy today!
1
The lunchroom was noisier than usual and there was a buzz of anticipation in the air as students reveledin their last day before spring break. Stressful midterms were over for most of us so it was finally time to let loose and have a little fun. Having skipped over the main lunch offering—a small slab of indefinable meat—and opting instead for a slice of pepperoni pizza and a Twix bar, I swiped my lunch card and ignored the disapproving look the frumpy cashier aimed at me before carefully navigating my way through the throngs of teenagers to my usual spot.
I set my tray on the empty table, taking a seat before sliding off my backpack so I could search for my contraband Mountain Dew buried among the various textbooks, pens, and a crushed pack of spearmint gum. After my fingers wrapped around the now-warm can, I slipped it out of my bag as I scanned the large room for Jeff. No sign of him yet. Carefully, I checked over my shoulder for the watchful eyes of any teachers. It appeared I was in luck as none seemed to be around, so I chugged some Mountain Dew before discreetly setting it on the floor by my feet. Now that Stone Gate High School wasn’t selling soda anymore, wanting us to choose from healthy alternatives instead, I had been smuggling in my daily Dew. Warm or cold, it was still the best. Without that extra jolt of caffeine, there was no way I could make it through my afternoon classes. As for the candy bars? I couldn’t figure out why those were still for sale, but I certainly wasn’t going to bring it up and open a possible can of worms.
My gaze traveled the lunch room again in search of my best friend. As I watched the large double doors, Istill didn’t see Jeff, but was surprised to see Russell and his posse of football players. They rarely ate lunch in the cafeteria, preferring instead to drive off campus to grab something. It was one of the perks of being a senior, but I seldom took advantage of it.
Russell Adams was the Big Man on Campus. He was star quarterback, dated the head cheerleader, had a 3.9 grade point average, and was gorgeous in every way. I furtively glanced around to make sure no one noticed me drooling over him before I let my eyes feast on my secret crush. Well, I guess I wouldn’t really call him a “crush”—I didn’t really want to date him. I mean, I could care less about football, which was what he basically lived for. Russell was just too sexy not to watch, though. And, yes, I admit he starred in some of my favorite fantasies, but in reality, we had nothing in common anymore. Not like when we were kids.
But God, he was beautiful. With his thick dark brown hair tousled on top with a gradual fade on the sides, deep soulful eyes the color of milk chocolate, and those full lips, I was amazed more people weren’t openly salivating over him. In addition to all that beauty, he was tall with broad shoulders and thick legs. In a word, hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Did I mention he was hot?
I watched as he made his way to the cheerleader table, where his equally beautiful girlfriend, Deidre, waited for him, his crew of fellow jocks following close behind. She greeted him with a grin and he wrapped her up in his arms, as if all the noise and chaos in the lunchroom fell away and they were the only two people there.
They were Stone Gate High’s golden couple. I suppose every high school has one. A sigh left my lips before I turned my gaze back to the door, searching for my friend and wishing, once again, I didn’t have to hide who I was from him. I trusted Jeff with almost everything else, but I just couldn’t bring myself to tell him my secret. Sometimes I wondered if I would ever be ready.
I could still remember the first time I realized I was a little different than my friends…
Fourth grade had just begun, and several of the girls had started to develop, which meant they wore bras. This quickly became a main topic of conversation among the boys on the playground, and the first time it was brought up, I was more than a little lost.